Darling Delilah
by charrrr
Summary: When Xav dreams of a mysterious girl, he knows that it is no ordinary dream. Her words confuse him, but he knows he has to help her. But will he ever actually find her when his family are reluctant to help him?
1. The dream

**So this is the first chapter.. The next chapters will be longer, I promise! This was sort of just an introduction.**

Xavier Benedict walked down the corridors of the empty hospital. Where was everybody? Usually hospitals were busy and noisy but today it was empty and silent… Scary. He jumped as the phone rang; it cut off after just two rings. He knew that he was dreaming but he was confused: the dream felt like it had some truth in it, like it was somehow real.

He walked into the waiting room, not feeling freaked out that the room was also empty, he hadn't expected anybody to be in here. He walked over to the window and looked outside. The sky was pitch black as if it were the middle of the night but there was no sign of any stars or the moon. Heavy rain poured from the unusual sky, falling to the ground which was… Covered with dead bodies. What the hell? Xav didn't understand what was going on. This was one depressing dream.

Suddenly, he heard the door to the waiting room open. He spun around and caught a glimpse of hair as black as the sky outside; long, wavy hair. Clearly belonging to a girl. The door closed behind the girl as she left the room, disappearing from Xav's view. "WAIT!" He shouted after her as he launched the door open and ran into yet another empty corridor. He saw a flash of her hair swinging behind her as she ran around the corner.

Xav ran as fast as he could after her, desperate to talk to somebody. He watched her open another door and called out, "I'm not going to hurt you. Please stop running from me."

She slowly turned around and faced Xav. Her dark hair framed her face; skin so pale she looked ill; big, impossibly bright blue eyes; a scar ran diagonally across her face. Even with the scar, she reminded Xav of Snow White.

"Hey," he said gently. "I'm Xav. I know this sounds crazy, but I think I'm dreaming." The girl nodded. "Do you know why nobody's here? Why there are dead bodies outside?"

_"It's not literal; it's prophetic,"_ the girl replied telepathically.

As soon as her thoughts reached his mind, an electric shock ran through Xav's body. It wasn't painful though, it was more of a happy jolt. A jolt that completed his life; it calmed him and made him feel like he would be okay, no matter what happened to him, because of this girl. His mind was bright and clear and suddenly, having a dream that felt so real wasn't weird to him anymore; it felt natural and right. His shock at this feeling was overwhelming and he knew exactly who she was; his heart pounded in his chest at the revelation.

_"You're my soulfinder,"_ he sent the thought to her mind. _"How are you in my dreams?"_

_"I need your help,"_ she replied. _"You're meant to look after me and protect me. Please find me, Xav. Please."_

"I don't understand," he spoke out loud this time. "Where are you? Tell me where you are and I'll come and get you!"

_"I don't know where I am,"_ she thought quietly. _"But they're hurting me, Xav. I can't stand it any longer. Please find me."_

"What's your name? Tell me your name," he begged. "My family work for the Savant Net, we might have your name on record. It might help us find you."

_"Delilah. My name's Delilah Morgan."_ Her eyes stared at Xav for one more long second before she turned around, opened the door and walked away from her soulfinder.

_-#-_

Xav woke up, startled. He sat up and ran his fingers through his messy hair, the dream still fresh in his mind. He knew that dreams weren't real, he wasn't stupid but… He knew that this particular dream was real in some sort of way. He could feel in his heart the love a Savant has when they find their soulfinder; a love that stays in their heart for the rest of their life. Delilah was his soulfinder; he knew that was real, he could feel it in his bones. But how had she got into his dreams? What did she mean when she said the dead bodies were prophetic; did she have visions of the future like his mum and Zed? Who was hurting her and how was Xav going to save her when he didn't even know where she was?

It hurt his brain thinking so hard about all of these questions that kept playing in his head like a record stuck on reply.

But he was determined to find all of the answers.


	2. Curiosity and Craziness

**Thankyou to Luce17 and Tinkerbelll3000 for giving me my first ever reviews! :-)**

Xav was glad the whole family was here so he wouldn't have to repeat the dream over the phone or something to one of his brothers. As he told the family about his dream that morning, he expected them to share his excitement over him finding his soulfinder, expected them to be happy for him. He hadn't expected them to sit there and stare at him without saying a word.

"Say something then," he said. "Are not happy for me?"

Sky, his brother Zed's soulfinder, moved to sit next to Xav and rested a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "It's not that," she said in a gentle tone. "It's just that, well… It was a dream, Xav. A lot of people dream about their soulfinders I bet, how do we know this wasn't just an ordinary dream, huh?"

"So you don't believe me?" Xav frowned.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "But we don't want you getting your hopes up from a dream that may just only be a dream."

Xav loved Sky; she was already a little sister to him and she had a calming effect on everybody and always knew the right things to say. But for once, Xav didn't feel put at ease by her words. If anything, they angered him. How dare she assume that it was only a dream! He knew the difference between real and not real dreams. He'd felt the completeness Delilah brought him when he was awake, not just asleep. It _was_ real! It infuriated him that Sky thought he was going to calm down by her words.

_"Don't you dare get mad at Sky over this," _Zed's voice warned him in his mind. _"She's just saying what we are all thinking. Surely you can understand why we're cautious about this?"_

"Of course I understand!" Xav shouted, standing up and slamming his hands down on the kitchen table. "I get it, Zed. But you of all people should know how amazing it feels once you've found your soulfinder. I know it sounds crazy, but she was in my dream last night and it was real. If it wasn't, I wouldn't still feel love for her now that I'm awake, would I?"

"Son, calm down. Please. Let's just talk about this, ok?" Saul said. "We all want you to have the joy of being with your soulfinder, of course we do. It's just a lot to take in and a lot to wrap our heads around."

Xav looked into his father's eyes, his own eyes now full with tears, his voice shaking as he spoke. "Dad, you can't feel what I can… I can't explain it but I know it was real. I have to find Delilah, she needs my help. If you don't help me, I'll leave and go off on my own and I won't come back until I find her. I'm serious."

"Think this through," Victor said sternly. "Where will you even begin to look for her? Honestly, if you're going to leave, please explain to me how you'll find her."

"I have no idea!" Xav argued, flustered. "Maybe she'll visit me in my dreams again, I don't know. Maybe visiting dreams is her power, did you think of that? It'd be easier if you helped, Vick. You could see if the Savant Net have her name on record. Didn't you say that there's a Savant somewhere that can track other Savants just by knowing their name?"

"Yes, but-"

"I don't care, whatever it is. If you can't get in touch with him, fine. But the least you could do is see if the Net has a Delilah Morgan on record. For me; for your little brother. And if that isn't enough, Vick, think about your job. Isn't part of it to help innocent people? There might be an innocent girl out there that needs your help, what are you going to do?"

"I believe him," Yves suddenly said.

"You do?" Victor raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. As I found out when I met Phee, knowing your soulfinder changes you. It makes you stronger, you'd do anything for them. I can see all of that in Xav right now, his persistence proves to me that somehow the dream was real," Yves shrugged. "So yeah, I believe him."

Xav looked back at Victor. The brothers narrowed their eyes at each other - they didn't usually disagree on big things like this or feel such irritation towards the other but well, there's a first time for everything. Finally, Victor let out a long, resigned sigh and ran a hand through his stubble. "Okay," he mumbled. "Okay, Xav. I'm not sure if I believe you… But I'll see if they have her name on record. I'll try and get in touch with George, the guy who can locate other Savants, but he doesn't really like helping the Net, he's a miserable old man."

"Thank you," Xav said, the words somehow not being enough for the gratitude he felt towards his brother.

"On one condition," Victor continued. "If I can't find anything on her, you try and forget about the dream and put all thoughts of her out of your mind, yeah?"

Xav nodded. "Okay, I promise."

Sure, he could _try_ and do that. But he knew it would be a wasted effort.

-#-

Delilah blinked her eyes open, momentarily being blinded by the brightness of the light in the room. Although her dream had had a dreary setting and a depressing vibe, she woke up with a new feeling in her body. A feeling of joy, happiness, nerves, excitement, anticipation and worry all in one. It had worked! She'd never tried getting in touch with her soulfinder in his dreams, never in a million years had she thought it would work considering she didn't even know his name. But his dream energy had been so bright, so inviting, as if he were right next door and calling out to her in his sleep.

She knew that Xav would try and find her and would stop at nothing until he did. That was what soulfinders did according to all the fairytale-like stories her parents had told her about soulfinders as she grew up. She was nervous to meet Xav… But also worried she wouldn't ever have the chance. What if it was impossible to find her? What if, God forbid, he got harmed by Them when he came to try and save her?

A man entered the room. He was nothing special - average height, light blonde hair, dark eyes. About the same age as Delilah but acted older. This particular man - Adam, he'd introduced himself as - visited Delilah a number of times each day. He had some sort of sick obsession with her; had convinced himself they were made for each other and always told her he loved her. How much could he love her really though, when he left her handcuffed to a steel pipe in a damp room of an old house?

"Good morning," Adam said in his deep, gravely voice. He kneeled down to Delilah's level, looking her straight in the eyes. "How are you today, sweetheart?"

He clearly didn't expect her to answer. Delilah estimated that she had been here a few months (she'd lost track of time after a few weeks so she couldn't be sure the exact length of time since her kidnapping) and not once had she spoken to Adam or any of his 'colleagues'. At one point, Adam had begged her to speak, begged her to let him hear her sweet voice, and had had tears in his eyes when she still didn't speak.

"Good morning," Delilah said, her voice came out as a whisper, her throat aching from speaking for the first time in so long.

Adam's cold eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. "You spoke!" He sounded genuinely happy. "I'm so glad you're finally coming around."

"Do you really love me?" She tried to sound like a pathetic teenager excited of the idea of being loved.

"Of course," he chuckled. "I love you so much, sweetheart. I will do anything for you."

"Will you answer one thing for me then?" She begged. "Why am I here?"

"Well.." His brows furrowed together. "I guess there's no harm in telling you. We know what you are, we know you're a Savant. And we don't think it's fair that we're just ordinary humans and don't get any special powers or whatever you call them. So, we're planning on killing all of the Savants of the world, it's a fair solution really."

So Delilah had been right. She'd guessed They were humans because none of them had used any sorts of powers on her and as she heard the screams of other people being held captive, she'd guessed that they were killing people here. And she knew these humans were dangerous people; _very dangerous people._

"Where are we?" She asked, trying to hide the hope from her voice. If she knew where she was, she could tell Xav tonight in his dream and he'd get help from the Savant Net to come and rescue her and the others….

"I can't tell you that, sweetheart," Adam said, causing Delilah's hope to fade away quickly. "It was lovely to finally hear your voice. I'll be back soon."

And with that, he left the room.


	3. Beautiful scenery

Xav fell asleep easily that night after a long day of persuading his family that his dream was real and getting them to agree to try and help him. As soon as his dream tonight began, the vibe in the air and the pounding of his heart in his chest, led him to believe that Delilah was in his dreams again. He couldn't hold back his excitement at the thought of seeing his soulfinder again.

He wasn't in an abandoned hospital this time. He was in a field. The warm sun was shining brightly across the area, the grass was soft and cushiony under his bare feet and a gentle breeze stirred in the air. In random spots on the field were bunches of red roses and poppies, blending nicely into the scenery. Xav turned around and saw a huge oak tree a short distance away from him with red apples hidden in the leaves. Sat on the grass, leaning her back against the trunk of the tree, was Delilah. She wasn't looking at Xav, she was looking at the ground instead.

Xav jogged over to her, desperate to hear the sound of her voice in his mind again. He sat down beside her - the tree trunk was wide enough for them both to lean against - and sensed a calmness in Delilah that he hadn't felt in his dream yesterday.

_"I'm calmer because I have more control over the dream than last time. I found it hard to hold onto the dream last time because I wasn't familiar with your mind yet," _she sent the thought to his mind.

_"Did you just read my mind?" _Xav replied, choosing not to break the blissful silence by speaking out loud.

_"Yes," _Delilah answered. _"It's one of the things I can do." _Xav wondered what else she could do and was about to ask but of course, she had read his mind and chose to answer him straight away. "_I can go into people's dreams and talk to them. Normally they wake up, thinking it wasn't real, unless I say otherwise and let them feel the truth in the dream like I did with you last night."_

_"Can you see the future too? You said all the dead bodies were prophetic last time…"_

Delilah shook her head. _"Sometimes things like that slip into the dream from my mind. The people who have me.. I've been suspecting that they're dangerous and killers and my suspicions got into the dream. I found out this morning that I was right - they're going to kill a lot of people. They already have."_

_"Who are they, Delilah? Who has you?"_

_"I don't know. A group of men; I'm not sure how many. I think there's a whole community of them. They're humans that hate Savants so they think we should all be killed. They torture us just because they get a sick thrill out of it. I only know that one of them is called Adam, they're careful with their thoughts and what they say around me."_

Xav was furious at the thought of somebody torturing Delilah, but decided not to ask any questions about it, knowing that it would probably upset her. Instead he asked, _"so there are other Savants there too? Not just you?" _Delilah nodded; Xav grinned. _"That'll make my family want to get to the bottom of this more. Knowing there's more than one Savant being hurt, they'll be more dedicated to the search."_

Delilah smiled at Xav, her blue eyes full of happiness. Xav's eyes lingered on the scar on Delilah's face. It was ragged and crossed diagonally down her face - it started just below the hairline on the left side of her face and finished just above her jaw on the right side of her face. He was going to ask how she had got the scar, preparing himself for an answer that would make him want to kill somebody, but stopped himself when Delilah shook her head after hearing his thoughts.

After a moment or so of silence, Delilah laid down on the grass on her back, her head on Xav's thighs. He looked down at her. She had her eyes closed, a small smile playing at her lips. Xav started running his fingers over her hair, never in his life feeling so peaceful and calm than he did right here, with his soulfinder.

"I'm going to find you," he said. "My family are helping me, although they're a bit sceptical about it all, they don't know whether to believe the dream is real or not."

"_What are they like? Your family?"_

"Annoying as hell and difficult to live with," he laughed. "But we're quite close. I have six brothers - I'm the third youngest. My two younger brothers, Yves and Zed, are the only other ones who have found their soulfinders. Yves' the only one that completely believes me about the dream being real. What about you? Do you have a family?"

"_You're lucky to have a big family." _Xav noticed the fact she had evaded his question. _"I always wanted a big family. Still do."_

"_You do have a big family," _he answered telepathically. _"My family is yours now, too."_

She grinned, revealing adorable dimples on each cheek. _"I can't wait to meet them."_

"Why aren't you speaking out loud?" He asked curiously. "Not that I don't like hearing your voice telepathically, because I do. But I haven't heard you actually speak yet."

"_I can't speak out loud in dreams, I don't know why," _she shrugged. _"Anyway.. What are your powers?"_

"I'm a healer," he replied. "Nothing special about that. It's pretty boring and simple compared to what other Savants can do."

"_Don't be silly, that's a great power to have!" _She sounded enthusiastic. _"Besides, that makes you a perfect match for me. In reality, I'm hurt a lot at the moment because of how they've been torturing me, when you find me you can help me get better quicker. Plus, I'm probably the clumsiest person you will ever meet. Honestly, my whole life I've been constantly getting myself hurt in some way or the other. It'll be great to have my own personal healer around all the time."_

This made Xav laugh. "Brilliant," he said, composing himself. "I'm starting to feel a little better about being a healer now." He fell silent, thinking over what Delilah had said. 'When you find me.' It was like she had complete, utter faith in him and although he was glad she trusted him so easily (it sure made things a lot easier, unlike the trust issues he'd seen between Yves and Phoenix at first), it also made him quite sad. What if he never found her? He couldn't bare it if he let her down which would result in her being hurt even more, and eventually being killed. He'd hate himself forever; he'd hate _life_ forever.

"_Stop it," _Delilah's telepathic voice immediately relaxed him and distracted him from his thoughts. _"I don't like hearing you think like that, Xav. I wouldn't want you to ever blame yourself for the pain they give me, it's not your fault. And besides, I know you'll find me, even if it takes a long while, I know you will eventually. I believe in you."_

Suddenly, the peaceful scene turned hectic as the ground started shaking madly. Apples thudded to the floor after being shook from the tree and the gentle breeze turned into a violent gust of wind that nearly knocked Xav and Delilah to the floor again as they stood up. "What's going on?" He had to shout to be heard over the wind. "Are you doing this?"

"_No. Someone's waking you up! Just remember that.. That I believe in you, okay? I'll try and visit your dream the next time you fall asleep!"_

Her voice got quieter and quieter until the end of her sentence where she just faded away, as did the previously beautiful scenery. Everything was black.

-#-

Xav opened his eyes to see Victor's face hovering above his own, his hand was on Xav's shoulder. Clearly, he'd been shaking him until he woke up.

"This better be important," Xav said while stifling a yawn. "You just pulled me away from another dream with Delilah."

Victor rolled his eyes. "Of course it's important, idiot. I wouldn't wake you up otherwise. I found a file on a Savant girl called Delilah Morgan. I need you to come downstairs and take a look at the photo on record, see if it's the same girl you've been dreaming of. If it is, I might have an idea of where she is."

* * *

**Please review & let me know what you think of the story so far! If nobody reviews, I'll start thinking that nobody's reading it and probably won't write it anymore. Hope you liked the new chapter.**

**Charlotte xx**


	4. Saving Delilah

As he followed Victor down the stairs and into the empty kitchen, Xav could feel his body shaking and his palms sweating. He was reminding himself over and over again not to get his hopes up so that if it wasn't her, he wouldn't be so disappointed, but he knew it was pointless and he'd feel dejected no matter how many times he told himself not to expect anything important.

A black folder was on the table containing the file Victor had found. Victor sat down and opened the folder before motioning for his younger brother to sit down across from him. "I got in touch with George but he refuses to help. This is the only Delilah Morgan the Savant Net has on record, so if it isn't her…"

"I know," Xav sighed, remembering Victor's condition yesterday. "I'll try and forget about Delilah. But Vick, this is bigger than I originally thought. Delilah was in my dream again - that's her power - and she told me that it's a group of humans who are keeping her prisoner and they're torturing her, just because she's a Savant. They have other Savants there too. They've already killed a number of them and want to eventually kill all of us."

Victor's eyebrows furrowed together, his mouth pursing and he considered this. "Okay. I'll get more people involved _if_ this is your Delilah, okay? And then we'll organize a rescue." Xav nodded and Victor slid the folder across the table to him, revealing the first page: a photo of a girl. "Is this her? Your Delilah?"

Xav studied the photo. Big, bright blue eyes stared back at him, definitely ones that he had seen before. The photo was clearly a school photo, taken maybe about year or so ago by the slight younger appearance. Her long black hair was shorter in the photo but had the same natural wave to it. The most noticeable difference however, was that her face was completely flawless; no scar and a warm colour to her cheeks instead of the deathly pale complexion Xav knew her to have. Without the scar, she didn't quite look like his soulfinder; he had grown so accustomed to seeing her scarred that it was strange seeing her without it. Despite this though, he knew it was his Delilah - beautiful with and without a scar.

"Well?" Victor asked impatiently.

Xav gulped and said, "it's her. She has a scar on her face now, but that's definitely her. What do you know about her?" He gave the folder back to Victor, who apparently didn't need to read the file to tell Xav what was in it.

"She was born and raised in Dublin." Xav thought back to the dreams and realised that Delilah had in fact had an Irish accent, he just hadn't realised at the time because it hadn't seemed important. "She was an only child. Her parents were both Savants, they did a bit of work for the Net every now and then. Just over a year ago, Delilah's uncle hadn't heard from the family in a week so he went round to their house. There had clearly been a struggle in the house. Delilah's parents were dead; she was nowhere to be seen and there hasn't been any sightings of her since."

"A year?" Xav asked in disbelief. The thought of Delilah being tortured for that long horrified him. He pushed that thought to the side and said, "so you said you might know where she is?"

"Well, I know this woman called Marianne who has visions of the Savant Net. She sees us going somewhere and doing our job, she can sense how dangerous it is," Victor explained. "This morning, she informed us that she'd had a vision of a large group of us going into an old house just outside of Wrickenridge and she sensed that it was dangerous and Savants were already being hurt there. I thought it was strange that it was so close to us, but if what Delilah told you is true… Maybe these humans know that, along with us, there are other Savants close to this area."

"That makes sense," Xav said. "But how would they have got Delilah from Ireland to here?"

"Unfortunately, it's not hard to smuggle people into the country," Victor sighed. "It all depends on who you know, I guess."

"You need to go to that house and save her," Xav said desperately. "As soon as you can, Victor. Not just to get her, but the other Savants there too."

"I know."

"So you believe me about the dream now?"

"Yeah," Victor looked tired. "Especially because it says on Delilah's record that she could read minds and go into people's dreams. I'm going to go and make a few calls and make sure the Net get moving as soon as they can. It'll probably be today; we've been preparing ourselves after Marianne's vision."

"I have to come with you," Xav stood up. "I've got to be there for her."

"You can come with us, but you're not going into the house. You can stay in the car, Xav. I'll make sure that they take Delilah straight to you so you can heal her if she needs you to, okay? But you're not going in the house, we don't know how strong these people are and you're not trained in protecting yourself."

"But-"

"No but's, Xav. You stay in the car or you don't come at all. It's your choice," he said sternly.

Xav nodded. "Okay, I'll stay in the car. But please, make sure they bring her straight to me."

-#-

Delilah was woken up by the sound of gunshots and men shouting. It wasn't something she was used to, she'd never heard them kill anybody with a gun before, they preferred making it slow and painful. She was confused… What was going on?

She heard footsteps coming down the corridor. _Bang! _Somebody was kicking open the doors to the other rooms; she knew for a fact they were empty, she was the only one of this floor of the house. Finally, the footsteps stopped outside her door. She held her breath in the silence, scared out of her mind. With a thud, the door was kicked open, breaking the lock. A tall man strode into the room, looking quite similar to Xav. He was broader than Xav and clearly older, but they had the same golden brown skin, dark hair, and warm brown eyes.

"Hey," the man said gently when he noticed Delilah in the corner of the room. "You're Delilah, right? My name's Victor, I'm going to get you out of here. Don't look so scared, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Xavier's brother."

"Where is he?" Delilah asked quietly.

"He's outside, I'll take you to him." Victor walked over and knelt down before untying Delilah's wrists. Without a word, he slid his arms under her and picked her up easily, cradling her to his chest in a protective, friendly embrace. Delilah relaxed in his arms, thankful for him carrying her because she knew she was far too weak to walk.

Downstairs, she caught a glimpse of men on the floor… Dead. Others were being arrested by people who held the same authorative vibe that Victor did. People who looked as weak as her - they were obviously the other Savants being held here - were also being helped out of the house to safety.

Her last thought, before she fell unconscious again, was that she wished the other Savants had families to go back to that would take care of them and make them happy again.

**Please remember to leave reviews! Even if it's to comment on things I could improve or anything, I appreciate any kind of feedback as long as it's honest.**

**Charlotte xxx **


	5. Finally safe

Sirens blared and people rushed around, getting others into the ambulances and police cars. Xav was glad to see the people that 'worked' here being arrested but couldn't bring himself to be happy just yet. Nobody had brought Delilah to the car yet. What if they were too late and she was already dead? Surely he'd feel if his soulfinder had died?

The door opened and Trace slid into the front passenger seat, letting out an exhausted sigh. "It's a mess in there," he said. "Looked like something out a horror movie."

"Did anyone find Delilah?" Xav asked.

"I don't know. Victor said he'd look for her."

Ten agonizing minutes later, he finally spotted Victor among the crowd, walking in the direction of the car. A petite body, wearing nothing but a white dress that now looked like a rag, was in his arms, black hair waving in the air as her head tilted back. Xav knew instantly that it was Delilah. He breathed out a long breath; he hadn't even realised he'd stopped breathing in all the worry he was feeling. Victor opened the door and Xav helped him get Delilah into the back seat, her head resting on Xav's thighs, reminding him of the moment under the apple tree in the dream. Then, Victor got into the driver's seat and turned to face Xav. "She was awake when I found her and went unconscious on the way out… Is she okay?" He asked.

Xav shook his head and felt a lump in his throat as he said, "she's really weak. Dehydrated, malnourished, exhausted. And she's got a cut on her shoulder, as if from a knife or something." He felt tired himself as he saw Delilah's weak life energy and felt the fatigue seeping out from her.

"We'll get her better again, bro." Trace tried to sound cheery as Victor started driving. "And mum's going to love cooking more than enough to fatten her up."

"I know," Xav laughed. "She'll be ecstatic."

Despite Delilah being so weak and clearly damaged, Xav couldn't stop himself from feeling euphoric. They'd found her! His soulfinder! Finally, he wouldn't feel so left out around Zed, Sky, Yves and Phee because at last, he had his own soulfinder to be with. _About time too, _he thought to himself. And now that he had Delilah, he wasn't going to let her go. And he certainly wasn't going to let anyone hurt her ever again.

He rested his palm on Delilah's injured shoulder and focused. He visualised her soft skin repairing itself and becoming smooth once again; the cut on her shoulder disappeared, not leaving any trace that it had previously been there. He then carefully healed each of Delilah's wrists - they were bright red and sore from the ropes that had held her wrists.

Gently, he rested a hand on Delilah's forehead. He slowed his breathing, like someone would if they were meditating, and focused on sending some of the strength of his life energy into his soulfinder. He knew that it would tire him out and weaken him slightly, but he didn't care. He had the power to heal his soulfinder and that was exactly what he intended to do, no matter what the cost was. He hoped that this extra strength he had given her would at least be enough to make her pain go away; he couldn't stand the thought of her being in pain.

He leaned back, resting his head on the headrest and fell asleep instantly.

-#-

Delilah was surprised when she woke up because she was breathing easier than she was used to and hadn't woke up screaming from nightmares. She felt happy and more than anything, she felt safe. For a moment, she wondered whether or not she was dreaming of when her life was good, when she still had parents and a good life. But then she opened her eyes and sat up, and realised that she didn't recognize the room she was in, so it couldn't be a flashback dream like she sometimes had.

She thought the walls were painted a dark blue colour but really couldn't tell because they were covered in paintings and posters, hardly an inch of the walls was visible. The bed she was in had black silk sheets and she was so comfy that she didn't want to move. A bookcase leant against one wall; a flat-screen plasma TV with three different video game consoles littered on the floor around it. The wardrobe and desk were made of the same dark mahogany and the floor was a pine-coloured laminate flooring.

The door opened. A tall, lean guy with messy black hair walked in, his face looking tired and fed up. However, when he saw Delilah sat awake in his bed, his eyes sparkled and a huge grin appeared, lighting up his whole face. "You're awake!" He exclaimed. "I was getting worried.. You've been asleep for two days. I guess you just needed a good uninterrupted sleep though, after what you went through." Delilah opened her mouth to speak but didn't get the chance to. "My family are all still in shock that you actually exist and I'm not going crazy. They can't wait to meet you. Even I'm still in shock that you're here! Are you feeling any better? I healed your shoulder and wrists and tried to make you feel a bit stronger but I was exhausted myself so I wasn't sure if it worked!"

"Shut up!" Delilah said loudly. Xav shut up and blushed as red as a tomato. "Sorry, I just… You're babbling. I mean, it's adorable, but _still_. You wouldn't even let me answer your questions, you just carried on talking. I feel better, by the way. Better than I have in a long time anyway. And I'm not surprised I slept for so long, I only ever slept for half an hour or so at time in that house, I just couldn't get comfortable enough or they'd wake me up to hurt me. But I guess I don't need to worry about that anymore because I'm safe now. I mean, I'm still gonna like, you know, _remember_, but I don't have to go through that anymore-"

"Shut up!" Xav cut her off by mimicking her before laughing. "Now _you're_ the one babbling. I don't mind you talking, of course. It's nice to finally hear your voice, but calm down. And yes, you're safe now. You don't have to worry anymore, Delilah."

"Thank you," she smiled up at him.

Xav walked across the room and sat next to Delilah on the bed. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Delilah hesitated at first, not used to the close contact that she hadn't felt for so long. But then she reminded herself that this was Xav; her _soulfinder_. She relaxed against him and wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging on as if her life depended on it.

"I'm so glad you're here," Xav said gently.

"Me too," she mumbled against his chest. "Xav?"

"Mmm?"

"What happens next?" She asked, referring to everything that had happened. Were all the men who had hurt her and the others now in prison? Would she have to give a statement to the police and tell them everything that happened to her? She wasn't sure she could handle that, at least not yet anyway. She was only just starting to get her head around being out of the place and being safe. She didn't want to have to relive all of those terrible memories so soon.

Xav clearly knew what she was asking about, but instead, chose to give her a simple answer. "Well," he said. "First, you're going to get some food into your tiny body. And then, unfortunately, you have to meet my family."

"Don't you want me to meet them?" She asked, confused by the 'unfortunately'.

"No, I do," he reassured her. "I just don't like the thought of sharing you. I'd rather keep you all to myself."

**Thankyou to those that have left reviews, it means a lot! Please remember to let me know what you think of this chapter too so I know that people are actually reading! :-)****  
**


	6. Welcome to the family

**Big thank you to those that have left reviews or favourited the story. I love knowing what you think of it! xo**

As Delilah walked down the stairs - now wearing some clothes that Sky had given to Xav to let Delilah borrow - she clung tightly onto Xav's hand, not knowing what to expect of the rest of the Benedict family. She knew that they must be decent people if they were working for the Savant Net and related to her Xavier, but no matter how many times she told herself to calm down, she just couldn't.

They went into the kitchen first where Xav's mother was. She was a small woman but Delilah could tell just by looking at her and the way she held herself, that she was powerful and no doubt had all of the Benedict boys in line. She was cleaning the kitchen countertops as they walked in. She looked up and smiled warmly at the pair of them, walking over and pulling Delilah into a tight hug.

"I am so glad that you are okay," she said after pulling away. "My name is Karla, I'm Xavier's mum. You had us all worried when you came back here in such a state, I tell you! Now, you sit and down and eat, get yourself stronger, okay? And just for the record, you were right: I _do_ have all my boys in line."

"Mum," Xav moaned. "Are you reading her mind? I told you not to do that, you'll freak her out."

"It doesn't freak me out," Delilah smiled. "I read minds myself, remember?"

"Exactly!" Karla grinned. "Three mind readers in the family now when you include Zed. You stand no chance of privacy, Xavier!"

She left the kitchen while laughing, reminding Delilah of a crazy old woman who had lived next door to her in Ireland. "Where are the rest of your family?" She asked, taking a seat next to Xav at the kitchen table. The whole surface of the table was covered in food: crumpets, toast, sandwiches, breadsticks, and other little nibbles and such. Delilah helped herself to a ham sandwich.

"In the living room," Xav replied after swallowing a bite of toast. "My mum's bad enough to meet, so I didn't want to overwhelm you by introducing you to all of them at once straight away, when you haven't even had anything to eat or anything."

"_You still want me to yourself," _she thought to him, after hearing his thoughts say just that.

"Hey, no fair with the mind reading!" He laughed. "If you carry on, I'm going to have to make sure I have a shield up around you at all times.""You wouldn't dare block me out of your mind!"

"Okay, I probably wouldn't. But still… Listen, I have to tell you something." He frowned.

"What is it?"

"Well, some of the guys that were involved in the whole 'torturing and killing Savants' situation got away," he sighed. "I felt like you deserved to know that not all of them were arrested. But I promise you, we're not going to let any of them get anywhere near you, okay?"

A rush of fear washed over Delilah like a tsunami wave. She trusted him, of course she did. But she knew what those guys were capable of and they wouldn't give up their plan just because some of them had been arrested. They'd gather more people and come back stronger. And the first people they'd find would be people like Delilah; the ones who got away. If they were determined to get her, they wouldn't go down without a fight. She didn't want any of the Benedict's - especially Xav - being hurt to protect her. That just wouldn't be fair.

"Delilah."

She broke away from her thoughts and looked up at Xav to see him staring at her with a troubled expression. She tried to smile and said, "yeah, I know. You'll protect me, I'm safe now."

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back. "Yeah, you're safe."

They sat in silence for ten minutes or so as Delilah ate a little bit of everything. She used to love food, any kind of food, and would always be found eating something. But since she had been forced to starve in the house, she had lost her appetite and now found herself picking at the food and not eating much. She could hear Xav mentally arguing with himself - he wanted to get her to eat more, he was so worried about her deteriorating weight, but didn't want to pressurize her and make her feel weak and not in control.

After hearing those thoughts, she forced herself to eat more because she didn't want him worrying about her and was surprised to actually feel stronger from eating and by the time she was too full to eat anymore, she looked at Xav and told him that she was ready to meet the family.

-#-

"_It'll be okay, they're going to love you," _Xav reassured Delilah, probably noticing by her expression that she was worried.

The living room was large and decorated in simple colours: black, white, brown and red. All conversation stopped as they walked in, causing Delilah's cheeks to blush a rosy colour because she didn't like the attention.

"You're making her uncomfortable with your staring," a voice said. A small girl (well, she wasn't very small to Delilah, they were about the same height, but the girl looked tiny in comparison to the giants around her) with blonde hair and a cute smile, stepped forward and closer to Xav and Delilah. "I'm Sky," she introduced herself. "Zed's soulfinder. It is so great to meet you at last."

_That scar… _She heard Sky think. _The poor girl. I'd hate to have a scar like that ,right across my face… Bless her._

Delilah winced slightly. Until now, nobody other than the people in the house had seen her with her scar. Her face had been as perfect as it could have been the last time she was in public. When she realised she had the scar, she worried what people would think and prayed that they wouldn't pity her. Turns out, her prayers had been useless. Not that she blamed Sky of course, at least she hadn't said her thoughts aloud.

"Hi," Delilah said, her shy nature suddenly making an appearance and making her blush even more. "It's nice to meet you too." She looked up and recognised the Benedict on the far left. "Victor. Thank you for getting me out of there, I owe you."

Victor wriggled a little, as if uncomfortable with accepting her thank you. "Don't thank me," he said. "I don't deserve it. When Xav told us about his dreams, I was the biggest non-believer. I didn't want to put any effort into looking for you… We only found you and the others because Xav was so persistent and determined."

"That doesn't matter," she shook her head. "You still helped find me, that's what I'm bothered about. So thank you."

"Well I don't know about you lot," said the guy next to Victor who looked more similar to Xav than the rest of the boys. "But I like her." He stepped forward and put a hand on Delilah's shoulder. "I'm Will. Welcome to the family, Delilah."

**So, I hope you liked it! I couldn't remember whether or not Joss Stirling gave a physical description of Will; in my mind, I imagine him to look a lot like Xav so I just wrote that. **


	7. No kissing

"Do you ever, like, really think about this soulfinder business?" Delilah asked Sky. The girls were stood near the counter where Saul was selling tickets, while the boys themselves were enjoying some time on the slopes.

"What do you mean?" Sky asked, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Well, just… It's not really fair, is it? That we kind of don't really have a choice about who our soulmate is, and once we find them, it's difficult being away from them. It's like we don't even have the chance to make our own future, it's already set out for us."

Sky nodded thoughtfully and said, "yeah, I had thoughts like that when Zed told me the truth about everything - I didn't know I was a Savant at first, you see. But then I got to know Zed and although we have our differences, we're quite alike as well. And even if I had a choice, I would choose Zed anyway. Now, I think it's all very magical and cute," she giggled.

"Mmm, yeah I guess you're right."

"Why are you asking anyway? Are you having second thoughts about Xav?" She pouted, looking unhappy at the suggestion.

"No! No, no, it's not that. I was just thinking about how glad I am that Xav isn't some mean and nasty loser or something," Delilah winced at the thought. "And that it isn't really fair the others haven't found their soulfinders and might never find them. I mean, what's the point in having a soulfinder if you can never even be with them?"

"I know," Sky sighed. "I feel so sorry for the others, they deserve to be happy. I think Victor's getting the most impatient. His moods and emotions are all over the place these days, I think he's needs her right now. It's such a shame that they're having to wait this long."

They fell into a tense silence, both thinking about how unfair life could be sometimes. Delilah heard a familiar laugh and looked up to see Zed and Xav walking towards the girls in their snowsuits, joking around about something. Before she could even say hello, Xav scooped her up into his arms and threw her over his shoulder.

"No!" She screeched through her laughter. "Put me down, Xavier!"

"Oh, she used your full name, you're in trouble now!" Zed taunted.

Xav laughed even more and ran away from Zed and Sky, still carrying Delilah, straight towards the woods. By now, Delilah had realized that it was pointless telling him to put her down so she remained moodily quiet. When they were a little way into the woods, Xav laid her down in the snow, holding his own weight above hers, his face hovering inches above Delilah's.

"Hey," he said, his voice coming out an octave deeper than usually.

"Hi."

"What were you and Sky talking about before I stole you away from her? I hope she wasn't telling you any embarrassing stories about me," his tone was serious but there was a cheerful glint in his eyes.

"And what embarrassing stories would those be?" She grinned. "I'm going to ask her about them later."

"Oh no," he moaned. "I should never have said that."

They laughed together, their laughter quickly fading as their eyes met and the rest of the world disappeared to them. They were caught up in the moment, a comfortable tension now between them. "Xav," she whispered. "Are you going to kiss me now?"

"Only if you want me to," he replied, also whispering, as if the moment would be ruined if they spoke any louder.

"Do you want to kiss me?"

"Yes," he smiled.

"Tough," she pushed him off her and jumped to her feet, the grin back on her face again. "You didn't put me down when I told you to, so you don't to kiss me. Besides, I've only known you a week! You might be a complete idiot for all I know."

"Don't be silly," he laughed as he stood up too. "It doesn't matter how long you've known me: you're mine and you always will be. And honestly, this week has felt like much longer. So I think it's only fair that you let me kiss you," he took a step towards her.

"Nope," she teased, shaking her head. "You have to earn the right to kiss me now."

She walked backwards as he took another few steps towards her, but then she tripped over a fallen branch, and before she knew it, she was falling backwards; she hit the floor with a thud and smacked her head off a tree behind her. She burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"Are you all right?" Xav asked, his face concerned as he hovered his body over hers yet again. "Lilah.."

"No," she shook her head, trying to speak through her giggles and the pounding in her head. "Ouch. It really hurts… I told you I was clumsy!"

She saw Xav shake his head and try to hold back his laughter at her. He pressed a hand gently against the back of her head and she felt a tingling sensation in that exact spot, which just made her giggle even more. When he pulled his hand away, the tingling and the pain had both faded away and Delilah's incessant giggling had come to an end.

"What was so funny about you hitting your head?" Xav asked as he helped her to her feet.

"I don't even know," she shook her head, laughing. "Thank you for healing me."

"Anytime, darling." He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"_We have a problem," _Victor's telepathic voice suddenly projected into both of their minds. _"You all need to get back to the house as soon as you can."_


	8. Worrying and Shouting

By the time Xav and Delilah got back to the house, hand-in-hand, the rest of the family were all gathered in the living room. There was tension in the air and everybody was fidgeting, desperate to know what was going on.

"Right, they're here. Now, will you tell us all what is going on, Victor?" Will asked.

"Yves?" Victor turned to Yves, who nodded.

"Well," Yves said. "I was walking back from college when this guy came up to me, he grabbed hold of me and shoved me into an alley.""Oh my god!" Phee gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine sweetheart," he gave her a reassuring smile and wrapped an arm around her waist. "He didn't hurt me. Anyway, he held a knife up to my throat and started blurting out all of these questions. I couldn't understand a word he was saying though. He was speaking really quickly and it didn't help that he had an Irish accent-"

"Hey!" Delilah interrupted him. "What is wrong with having an Irish accent? Are you saying that when I speak you don't understand me?" She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at Yves; he gulped and actually looked a bit scared. Xav tried his best to hide his amused smile, but failed.

"No, no," Yves said quickly. "I didn't mean any offence, I promise. Just that he was speaking really fast and his words all blurred together… As I was saying," he cleared his throat. "I told him to speak slower and so he said to me, 'you're a Benedict. The family that helped clear out that house; where is Delilah Morgan? Tell me where she is!' He was getting really frantic and panicked, telling me that she was safer in the house then out of the house. He started walking away then, as if someone had said something to him. Before he ran away, he told me that this is worse than we think… And that we'll all die if Delilah stays here."

"Oh my god," Xav looked down to see Delilah looking at Yves in horror. "What did he look like? I might have known him back in Dublin…"

Yves thought about this for a moment and then said, "about the same height as me, little bulkier though. Dark hair and blue eyes; the same blue as your eyes actually."

"Maybe it's her uncle," Uriel said. "Harry Morgan; the one who reported her as missing."

"It could be," Delilah shrugged. "But if it was, why would he want me to stay in the house where I was tortured? It's definitely not safer than staying here, you have all this security and everything."

"Exactly," Victor agreed. "So why would he say that you were safer there? It makes me think that maybe somebody else is after you, although I don't know why… There are more powerful savants out there than you; you can go into dreams and read minds, it's not that powerful - no offence."

"None taken."

"He was quite clearly saying that whoever these people are, they'll kill all of us to get to Delilah. If only we could find this man again and ask him a few more questions. Maybe we could even talk to one of the men we arrested last week.." Victor continued to talk, Trace putting in his input every now and then.

"_I'm just going to the bathroom," _Delilah thought to Xav before slipping silently out of the room.

Xav couldn't even listen to his family anymore, he was too bothered thinking through what the man had apparently said. Could he really have been her uncle? If so, how long had he known she was in the house? He was her family, how could he just let that happen to her? Xav would never have let any of his family suffer through that torture if there was anything he could do about it.

He realised that he had been stood there, lost in his own thoughts and repeating the same things over and over, but he was frozen to the spot with his worry, anger and speculations.

"Xav," Zed brought him back to reality, a concerned tone in his voice, his head tilted to the side. "Delilah's thinking of leaving. In fact, she's upstairs packing a bag right now."

Xav didn't wait to hear the others' responses, he just raced upstairs and threw the door to his bedroom open. Delilah had her back to him, stuffing clothes Sky had given her into one of Xav's bags. "What are you doing?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"What does it look like?" She repeated, not turning around. "I'm leaving. I'm sorry, Xav. But I've got to go… It's been great being with you and all, but I can't stay here. Maybe I'll visit you in your dreams or something, I don't know. But right now, I have to leave."

"No you don't!" He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, spinning her around. They both had tears in their eyes. "Why? Why are you so insistent on leaving?"

"Because I don't want your family getting killed because somebody is after me! It just isn't fair!" She shouted, louder than Xav had ever heard her before; he was pretty sure the others downstairs could hear her. "I want to stay, but I can't! I am not letting them get hurt for me - somebody they've only known for a week!"

"You're part of the family now!" He shouted back. "We protect and look after our family so we're going to keep you safe! Don't you dare be a coward and just leave us now, Delilah! I thought you were better than that. I thought you cared about us."

"Of course I care! That's why I'm leaving, you idiot!"

"No, you're the idiot," he snapped. "We have tons of enemies and we have managed to stay alive. Stop thinking we're defenceless and don't know how to fight back. We'll still be involved in this whether you leave or not. Think about it: we ruined their whole little thing they had going on, they're not going to forgive us for that just because you ran away. You're safer here than out on the streets on your own. So if you leave right now, you'll be just giving yourself over to them… And you'll be breaking my heart," the last sentence came out quiet and broken.

"I have to leave," Delilah replied, her voice now also quiet.

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Because I'm scared, Xav! I've never been this scared in my life, even when I was in the house and being tortured I wasn't this scared. I'm scared for me; for you; for your family. I couldn't bare it if they got hurt because I dragged you all into this. I'm scared of what's going to happen."

Xav sighed and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. "We're all scared, baby. But leaving will make it worse. Do you really want to go?"

"_No."_

"_Then stay with us. Stay with me. And don't you dare ever threaten to leave again, I can't stand the thought of being without you."_

"_I'm not going anywhere."_

"Good," Xav replied out loud. "And just in case you panic like this again: I promise I won't ever let you leave me. You're my prisoner now."

"Well, I much prefer being your prisoner than theirs," she mumbled.

At the thought of her being tied up in that house with all them terrible people around her, Xav hugged her ever tighter, wishing that he could somehow never let her go and get closer to any danger.

* * *

**So, I haven't had any reviews for the last two chapters :(  
Please leave a review for this if you're still reading it, so I know I've actually got readers! xo  
**


	9. Truth about the past

When Xav woke up the next morning, he didn't open his eyes and instead took the moment to just relax before the day ahead of him, which would undoubtedly be eventful and hectic as the family thought about what they should do. Delilah was asleep with her head on his chest and he calmed his mind by matching his breathing to hers. It was warm under the covers, especially because he was wearing sweatpants and a vest top; he usually just slept in his underwear, but didn't want Delilah to feel uncomfortable at all, so for now, he was wearing those to bed.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Delilah let Xav know she was awake by lifting her hand up and reaching across his body to grab his hand. She began playing with his fingers, her skin soft and smooth.

"_I'm sorry we argued last night," _she thought to him. Xav was thankful that she had spoke into his mind instead of breaking the content silence that seemed to make him feel better.

"_Don't apologize," _he replied. _"Every couple has their arguments, it's perfectly natural."_

"_Xav?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_I've been thinking and… I want to leave," _she said cautiously. Xav's breathing quickened and he felt his body go tense. Before he could argue with her about this again though, she continued. _"I don't mean leave you for good. I want to go back to Dublin, just for a little while. I was thinking I could see if my uncle's there, if he is, then that wasn't the man that approached Yves. I also want to talk to some of my parents' friends, see if they know anything; they're savants too. And also… I was talking to Victor a few days ago and he says that apparently my uncle owns my old house now. I'd love to go back there, see if all of my things are there still."_

"_Do you mind if I come with you? Please?" _He asked gently. He understood her reasons for wanting to go back to Dublin and thought that he would probably do the same if he was in her situation. But the thought of her leaving him, just for a short period, hurt like crazy.

"_No, I don't mind," _she answered. _"Actually, I was going to ask you to come. I don't think I could do it alone; go back to my old home. I know that memories of the day I was kidnapped are going to come flooding back so I'd love for you to be there to keep me strong."_

"_Of course I will… Lilah… What happened that day?"_

The fact that she'd never talked about her kidnapping to him made him think that it was a touchy subject, not that he blamed her of course. When a long minute passed, he was starting to wish he could take back his words. He hadn't meant to upset her, he just wanted to know. He was curious, yes, but he also felt like he should know what she'd be remembering when they got to her house, so he could comfort her better. He wanted to know everything about her, even the bad stuff. He was starting to think that she wasn't going to answer, but then she let out a sad sigh and a second later, her telepathic voice came into his mind.

"_It was a Friday and I was walking home from college with my friends Siobhan and Daisy, just like I did every day. We were all in a really good mood because the term was finished and we were planning this trip to London with some of our other friends; we'd been saving up for ages. They lived next door to each other about five minutes away from me, so after a while I was on my own. By the time I got home, I was still in a good mood and couldn't wait to tell my mum that the trip was definitely happening. I was even happier when I saw my dad's car in the driveway because he'd been working away for two weeks and wasn't due back for a few days, but I'd really missed him. I heard shouting when I opened the front door…" _She paused for a second, lost in the memory. _"I remember thinking 'why are my parents fighting? Shouldn't they be happy that they can be together again now?' But then I heard another man's voice, one I hadn't heard before. Then I heard a gunshot and my mum screaming. I ran into the living room and saw about three men that I hadn't ever seen before. My dad was lying on the floor with a bullet hole in his head… Oh god, there was so much blood… My mum was knelt by his body, crying; she shouted at me to get out, told me that she loved me… Then they shot her in the head too. I wanted to go over to them, but I knew they were dead so I did what my mum told me to do: I ran. Or at least, I tried to. One of them grabbed hold of me and tried to tackle me to the floor so I kicked him in his, uh, private area. That angered him… So he pulled a knife out of his coat and cut it across my face; that's how I've got this big ugly scar. One of the others shouted at him to knock me out so they could get me into the van and before I knew it, the guy who'd cut me was pressing a cloth to my face. I tried to fight back, I did. But it smelt and tasted weird, I guess it was chloroform because in seconds, everything just went black."_

It was probably the longest speech Xav had heard Delilah say, but he wasn't happy about that fact, because of the conversation topic. He was glad he now knew the truth, but it was hard to accept. It was the past and no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't change it and that _really_ pissed him off. He felt himself feeling slightly proud that at least she had gone down fighting and somehow managed to stay strong, even after seeing her mother murdered in front of her. And now, whenever she looked in a mirror or got a funny look off someone in the street because of her scar, she would be reminded of how she got it while trying to escape after seeing her mum killed. People should have been in awe of her strength, not looking at her beautiful scar and thinking it was ugly.

"_It _is_ ugly," _she thought to him after reading his mind. _"How could you even think that it's beautiful?"_

"_Because it is," _Xav replied honestly. _"It's a part of the Delilah that I know and frankly, I love it. I've seen a photo of you without the scar and although you were still beautiful then, it just didn't seem like you. It's not ugly at all, darling. You are beautiful; inside and out. Okay?"_

"_You're a great boyfriend, you know that?" _She lifted her head to meet his eyes, a grin on her face.

It was the first time Xav had heard her call him that and it gave him butterflies in his stomach. _"I know," _he grinned back.

"_You want to know something else?" _She asked, a devilish glint in her eyes. _"I didn't let you feel the truth of it, but…You're still asleep, baby."_

Suddenly, the world seemed to fall apart and fell into darkness. He opened his eyes and sat up, now properly awake, to find Delilah sat next to him in the bed, laughing.

* * *

**Thank you for leaving reviews! I know this is sounding repetitive now, but please leave a review for this chapter too, even if it's a just a smiley face, so that I know people are reading! xo**


	10. Arriving in Dublin

Karla's maternal instinct had kicked in when Xavier and Delilah had told her they were going to Ireland. At first, she didn't like the idea of them not having the protection of the rest of the family from the 'bad guys' and tried to persuade them not to go but after Xav explained the personal reasons Delilah wanted to go, she'd reluctantly agreed to let them. After that, she made sure their phone contracts permitted them to make calls to Wrickenridge with a good signal, just in case they needed to call the family for some reason, and insisted on packing their suitcases for them.

When they finally got to Dublin, they got a taxi straight to Delilah's old home. It was a small, three-bed roomed family house that was painted white with blue shutters and a white picket fence. The garden, which had once had beautiful flowers growing in it, was now full of overgrown grass and weeds. Xav got the suitcases and they walked up the path, stopping in front of the front door.

"Didn't think about this before," Xav said. "How are we going to get in?"

Delilah bent down and lifted a plant pot up, glad to find that the spare key was still under there. She straightened up and said, "mum always used to keep it there because I was always forgetting mine when I left for school. I remember once I was locked out for hours because her and dad were both working late."

"Why does that not surprise me?" He teased, followed by a little laughter.

Delilah unlocked the door and they stepped into the hallway; Xav shut the door behind them. The memories came back as clear as yesterday, just standing in the hallway. Xav left the suitcases at the bottom of the stairs, took hold of Delilah's hand and together they walked into the living room. Thankfully, somebody had cleaned up the mess from that day and nothing was out of place. Delilah half expected her mum to appear on the sofa, flicking through the TV channels as her dad could be heard singing in the kitchen as he cooked tea, due to the fact her mum couldn't cook at all. But that would never happen because they were gone forever now.

She heard Xav thinking about how worried he was that she was going to break down and how he wished there was something he could do. Hearing how concerned he was made everything seem easier for her and she managed to push back the bad memories and thoughts from her mind and take a deep breath. "I'm just going to think of the good memories," she said, giving him a smile. "And make sure you don't find the photo album with all the embarrassing photos of me when I was younger."

"Oh I'm definitely going to find that," he laughed and pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.

They stood like that in a comfortable silence for a minute or so, but broke apart when they heard a knock on the door. Delilah went to answer it with Xav close behind her. Stood on the doorstep was a small woman with wrinkles and curly grey hair. Mrs Murphy from next door. "Delilah!" She gasped. "Oh, I thought it was you getting out of the taxi. Your parents were always lovely neighbours and friends so I kept a tab on your disappearance; I got a call from the Savant Net last week saying that you'd been found, I was so happy!" She finally spotted Xav and her eyes widened. "Who's this?" _I sure do hope he's a Savant otherwise I could get in trouble for mentioning the Net, _Delilah heard her think. _And what happened to Delilah's face? That scar is.. Hideous. I should probably not mention it, it'll make her sad._

"It's okay, Mrs Murphy," Delilah reassured her, wincing after hearing Mrs Murphy's thoughts about her scar. "This is my Soulfinder, Xavier. He and his family helped save me."

"Oh, that's brilliant!" She gushed, a huge smile on her face. "Are you back for good now, Delilah?"

"No, I'm actually living in Colorado with Xav and his family, we're just here visiting the old house. Mrs Murphy, do you know where my Uncle Harry is by any chance? I've tried getting in touch with him but I've had no luck.""I'm not sure, love. The last time I saw him was about two weeks ago - he's been coming back to the house every now and again, trying to keep it in good condition. Although he has no gardener skills," she laughed. "I think he said he was planning a visit to a friend he had in America, but I'm not sure, my memory is getting messed up with my old age."

"_Ask her if your parents had any enemies or something," _Xav thought to Delilah.

"Sorry to ask, but did you ever notice my parents having enemies? Someone that would have gone to the extremes of killing them?" Delilah asked the old lady. "I just really want to know why someone did what they did to them."

"Well honey, they worked for the Net, you know that. Everybody in the Net has enemies, it could have been anybody. Although I do remember your mother mentioning a man called Paul Lockwood who was a Savant that was helping humans hurt other Savants; he was a very terrible man and at his trial, he swore to get revenge on your parents for putting him in prison. But a lot of people say that," she shrugged. "As far as I know, Paul is still in prison so I don't think it could be him. Anyway, I just came to say hello and that I'm glad you're okay. I have to get home now, I have my grandchildren over."

"Okay, thank you, Mrs Murphy. See you around," Delilah smiled and closed the front door, turning around to face Xav. "Well…"

"I guess we just figured out that the guy that attacked Yves is most probably your uncle," Xav sighed. "I'm sorry, I know you probably wanted him to be good.. On a more positive note, we might know who killed your parents. I don't think it's a coincidence that you were kidnapped by humans and it turns out this Paul Lockwood guy went down for working with some. I'll make a call to Victor, see if he can find out anything. Maybe Paul had visitors and he told them to go after your parents or something, I don't know. But we'll figure it out, I promise."

He turned around to get his mobile which he'd left in the living room, but Delilah stopped him by reaching out and grabbing hold of his wrist. "Wait a sec, come here," she pulled him towards her. "First… You came all the way over here with me and you're being so supportive, so I think you've now earned the right to kiss me."

Xav grinned and said, "finally." He didn't have to be told twice. One of his hands grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him while the other held her face. He leant down and brushed his lips against hers, gently and questioningly. Delilah wrapped her arms around his neck, eager for more. The kiss deepened and they clung onto each other as if their lives depended on it, their tongues exploring each others mouths and battling for dominance. When they reluctantly pulled apart so they could breathe, Xav rested his forehead against hers, their eyes locked in a caring glance. They smiled at each other and Delilah was surprised that Xav couldn't hear the loud and insistent sound of her beating heart.

"I love you," she whispered.

Xav's eyes widened slightly before an ecstatic smile that lit up his whole face appeared. "I love you too."

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**Yay, they finally kissed! :D Haha.  
**

**Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews, it's so great knowing that you like it :) **

**Lorinhazuzu: **I came up with the name Delilah because when I was little I had this doll called Delilah and I have just always loved the name ever since, haha.**  
**

**Char xo**


	11. Danger

After Xav had made a call to Victor to recall what Mrs Murphy had said, the couple headed upstairs with their suitcases and entered Delilah's bedroom. It was quite obvious that nobody had been in here since the morning Delilah had got up for school that day. Her bed was still unmade, a few clothes were still strewn across the floor and the door still made the same annoying squeak when you opened it.

Delilah let go of her suitcase and walked over to her bedside table, picking up the framed photo of her and her parents, her eyes welling with tears as she studied it. The photo had been took on her 16th birthday, when they had a family picnic in the local park. A complete stranger had taken the photo, laughing at how happy the three of them looked. Her dad's dirty blonde hair and her mum's black hair were blowing around in the wind just like Delilah's was; her dad's brown eyes and her mum's blue eyes stared out of the photo at her, full of happiness and love.

Delilah was aware of Xavier walking up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her head and looking at the photo himself. "Wow," he whispered. "Your mum looks so much like you."

"She did, I know," Delilah said sadly. "I'm definitely taking this one back to Wrickenridge. In fact, I want to take all of the photos, even the bad ones; each one has a memory to it."

"I understand," he replied. "What else do you want to bring with you?"

"Clothes. Sky's clothes are too girly for me," she laughed and put the photo back on the table; she turned in Xav's arms so they were face to face. "I thought I'd be upset being here again, but I'm not really. It's more like I know my parents would want me to be happy so I feel like I'm able to. That makes no sense when I say it out loud, but whatever."

"No I get it," Xav grinned. "So I was thinking a moment ago.. Your bed's only a single so we're going to have cuddle up close so we both fit."

"Hmm.. _Or_ you could sleep on the sofa downstairs, that works out too."

"Not happening," Xav pecked her lips. "Now, stop crying and lets sort your clothes out."

When Xav woke up, he and Delilah were tangled up in each other's arms. It was still dark outside and his soulfinder was still fast asleep, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get back to sleep himself. He wriggled out of the bed, breathing a sigh of relief that he didn't wake Delilah up.

He went downstairs, desperate for a cup of coffee, only to be disappointed when he found the kitchen empty. He shouldn't have been surprised really, why would it be stocked when nobody lived here anymore? He made a mental note to go shopping if Delilah wanted to stay a little longer. He went back into the living room and switched the TV on, watching a Friends episode.

His phone, which he'd left on the coffee table, was flashing. He leaned forward, picked it up and looked at the screen: 13 missed calls and 1 voicemail. All from Victor Benedict. Curiously, Xav clicked on the voicemail and put the phone to his ear. "Xavier, why aren't you answering your phone?" Victor sounded angry and stressed. "Phone me back as soon as you can… I looked at the Net's records for Paul Lockwood. He escaped from prison the day after we found Delilah, Xav. His prison was in Dublin, so he's probably still in Dublin now. If he finds out that you two are there, chances are he'll come after Delilah - he and his people need her for something, that much is clear, otherwise they wouldn't be making such an effort. It's not just that he wants revenge for her parents putting him in prison… You need to come home as soon as possible." The message cut off and Xav dropped his phone to the floor in shock.

As long as they were in Dublin, Delilah was in danger; he couldn't leave her alone, not for one second. He jumped to his feet and rushed to the stairs, desperate to go upstairs and hold his soulfinder in his arms, to keep her safe.

As soon as his foot hit the first step though, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a tall, muscular man with red hair and dark eyes, behind him. "Hello Xavier Benedict," he said menacingly. Xav lurched his elbow backwards, hitting the man straight in the stomach. He tried to run up the stairs, but the man grabbed hold of him and pulled him back towards him. He was taller and stronger than Xav; Xav stood no chance against him.

The guy locked his arms around Xav so that he couldn't move and before Xav could even so much as blink, a cloth was put over his mouth: he smelt chloroform on it. _"Delilah, get out of here!" _He called out with his mind, but it was pointless: there was something blocking him from reaching her mind, another Savant in the area, or maybe even the man with the red hair, Xav guessed.

He struggled in the man's arms, worried like crazy that the man would get to Delilah and hurt her, or worse, kill her. He couldn't let that happen… His vision started going blurry from his tears and the effect of the chloroform. His body felt weak and he stopped his struggling.

Xavier fell unconscious.

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**I don't mean to sound like I'm begging, but _please_ leave reviews. If I read that people are reading & enjoying the fanfic, it really means a lot to make & makes me more eager to write the next chapter!**

**Charlotte xo  
**


	12. Finding out the truth

Delilah rolled over on the bed, feeling like she _needed_ to hug Xav. He had become so much to her: a best friend, a safe haven, a soulmate, a comfort. She had become so accustomed to having him in her life already - he was the first thing she thought about in the morning, and the last thing she thought about at night. She felt a pang of disappointment when she couldn't feel him next to her and opened her eyes, wondering where he was.

She got out of bed, knowing without looking at the clock that it was early morning because of the sunlight streaming in through the window. "Xav?" She called out. There was no answer.

Guessing that he was downstairs already, she went downstairs and looked in the kitchen and then the living room, not finding him anywhere. "Xav?" She shouted again as she stood in the living room, looking around in confusion and wondering where he was. Her eyes caught sight of his phone on the floor near the coffee table.

She walked over and picked it up, scrolling through his phone's history as if it would somehow give her a clue as to where he was. It stated that his most recent activity was listening to a voicemail from Victor so Delilah clicked on the voicemail and started to listen: "Xavier, why aren't you answering your phone? Phone me back as soon as you can… I looked at the Net's records for Paul Lockwood. He escaped from prison the day after we found Delilah, Xav. His prison was in Dublin, so he's probably still in Dublin now. If he finds out that you two are there, chances are he'll come after Delilah - he and his people need her for something, that much is clear, otherwise they wouldn't be making such an effort. It's not just that he wants revenge for her parents putting him in prison… You need to come home as soon as possible."

Delilah felt her heart stutter as she put the phone on the coffee table, her hands shaking. Paul was out of prison. In Dublin. And Xav was nowhere to be found. Tears started falling down Delilah's face uncontrollably as she thought of the worst possibilities over and over again.

She reached out with her mind until she felt Xav's mind energy. _"Xav, where are you?"_ She asked. But it was pointless. As soon as she sent the telepathic message, she felt the walls around Xav's mind, blocking her from talking to him.

Paul had Xav; she knew in that moment that her worries were true. She fell to the floor, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees as she cried. She had been tortured for over a year but she would happily go through all of that again if it meant that Xav would be safe. Even if she thought about all of the pain she had suffered in that house put together, it was nothing compared to the pain of losing her Soulfinder and knowing that he might be killed.

It felt like her life was over. It surely would be if Xav died, she didn't want to live without him. It sounded dramatic but after knowing what it was like to have her Soulfinder in her life, she didn't want to go back to a life without him. Xav was the only thing keeping her strong right now, she'd have a mental breakdown if he died.

She looked over to the part of the room where she'd seen her parents killed. And started crying even more. She rolled over so that she was laid on the floor, curled up in a ball as she bawled her eyes out. She had already suffered the loss of her parents, it wasn't fair that she was going to lose somebody else. She didn't know what she had done wrong to deserve this pain, but she just wanted it all to end.

"_Xav, please… I need you." _She tried another futile attempt of getting in touch with him but the mind block was still there, causing her heart to shatter into a million pieces.

After two hours of laying on the floor crying, she finally managed to find the energy to drag herself back over to Xav's phone and dialled Victor's number. "Xav!" Victor answered, sounding relieved. "Thank God. We were getting so worried. Mum and Zed both had a feeling that something terrible had happened, but neither of them knew what. Are you okay?"

"Victor," Delilah said, her voice shaking. She gulped, trying to steady her voice so he'd be able to understand. "It's not Xav, it's Delilah."

"Delilah, what's wrong?" He immediately picked up on the weird tone in her voice. "Where's Xav?"

"I don't know," she cried. "I woke up this morning and he was gone. I've tried talking telepathically to him but there's a mind block on him. I'm so worried about him, Victor; I know something bad has happened, I can feel it in my heart. Oh God, I don't know what to do… He's gone. No doubt it was this Paul Lockwood guy who wants me dead. What if he kills him? He can't die, Victor. He can't. I don't know what I'd do-"

"Delilah, calm down," Victor said, his voice sounding in business mode which Delilah guessed was a way of him keeping hold of his emotions. "Right, here's what's going to happen: we're going to get on a flight to Dublin as soon as we can and come straight to your house. We _will_ find my brother, I promise you we'll do everything we can to make sure of it. What I want you to do until we get there is just to look after yourself. And visit Xav in his dreams, see if he has any idea where he is. Do you think you can do that?"

"Okay," she said weakly.

"Lock all of your doors and windows, keep Xav's phone near you at all times. I'm on speed dial, number one. Call me immediately if something happens, okay?"

"Okay," she repeated.

"Everything's going to be fine," he said, although he didn't sound very convincing, then he hung up.

-#-

Xav felt his eyelids dropping closed and he was happily ready to welcome sleep, hoping that Delilah would visit him so he knew that she was okay and safe. But he was jolted wide awake by a tough slap around the face by the redheaded man that had kidnapped him. "You're not going to sleep!" The man shouted in a pure Irish accent but unlike Delilah's, his didn't have a musical ring to it. "You think we're stupid, lad? We know about Delilah's power! As soon as she realised you were gone, she probably started trying to get in your dreams. So I'm here to stop you from going to sleep."

"Does that mean you don't have Delilah?" Xav asked, praying that it was true and she was safe.

"Yes," the man answered. "She's at home, safe and sound. We think it would be rather amusing if she joined our little team willingly and I have a feeling that she will if it means you can be safe."

"Then why don't you let me speak to her?" Xav asked. "I'll tell her where we are and she can come here."

"Don't lie to me. I know you'd never tell your Soulfinder to come here, you'd do the opposite. Besides, I don't want to make it easy for her," he smiled. "Her parents made my life tough, so I'm going to make hers tough. I won't kill her though, don't worry. We need her help."

"Are you Paul Lockwood?""Ah, you've done your research, brilliant! Yes, that's me. See, my plan is to have the Savant Net destroy themselves. I've been working with humans over the years who have killed Savants for me while I was in prison, figuring out what to do next. I wanted revenge on Delilah's parents for putting me in prison, and when someone told me what their daughter could do… Well, my plan was set: have her parents killed, have her kidnapped. I couldn't trust the humans with my plans for her, so I told them to just keep her alive until I managed to break out of jail. They found it fun to torture her and honestly, I didn't care, as long as they didn't kill her. Then you came along and rescued her and I had to change a few details of the plan, but it still has the same outcome."

"And what's that outcome?" Xav asked, frowning. "And why do you need Delilah? She can read minds and talk to people in their dreams, big deal. There are more powerful Savants out there."

"She's far more powerful than that," Paul laughed. "Have you ever seen the movie Inception, where they go into someone's dream and plant an idea there? That's kind of what your lovely little Soulfinder can do, although she doesn't know it yet. With the right training, she can get into the dreams of tons of people in the Net and make them think they had the idea of destroying the whole organization. It's going to be so fun to watch."

"You'd never tell me your plans if you weren't planning on killing me, would you?" Xav gulped.

"If I kill you, Delilah won't be emotionally sane enough to work with us. I'll let you go and you can tell the Net my plans, I don't care. Once Delilah knows how to use her power properly, there will be no stopping her."

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**Well, there you go, the truth is finally out! And I think this is one of the longest chapters I've wrote for this story, woo.  
Please leave reviews! xo**


	13. Plans

**I know it's not a very long chapter, it's just leading up to the next one which _will_ be longer.**

**Thank you to everybody that has reviewed, favourited the story, or put it on their alert list! It means a lot :) xo  
**

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When the Benedict family finally arrived, Delilah heard them having to pick the lock because she didn't go and answer the door. She ignored their vocal and telepathic calls of her name, not surprised that the entire family was here to help find Xav. When they walked into the living room, she didn't even look at them. She was sat on the sofa, her legs crossed up on the seat, her arms wrapped around her stomach as if she could hold in good memories of her and Xav and not let the pain in. By the tears streaming down her face, it was obvious it wasn't working.

Sky sat down next to Delilah and started rubbing her back as Phoenix said, "we'll find him, Delilah. We will."

Delilah shook her head and continued staring into space as she spoke herself. "I can't get into his dreams, I think someone's keeping him awake or something. We have no idea where to start looking, how are we going to find him? It's my fault, they wouldn't want him if he wasn't my Soulfinder. I should have known something was wrong, woke up and helped him…"

"There was nothing you could have done," Sky said gently. "Blaming yourself isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Delilah, you know this area better than we do," Trace said. "Are there any abandoned buildings or warehouses around here? Those are the first places we should start looking, then we'll contact the Net and get some men out here to help us."

"Uhm… There are some warehouses about two hours away from here," Delilah said, starting to become more alert at the thought that there may actually be a chance of saving Xav. "And there's an old hospital that's been abandoned for years."

"Right, we'll check out the warehouses first…" Victor continued to talk with a plan of what they should do but Delilah stopped listening to him, lost in her own thoughts.

_An old abandoned hospital. _The same hospital that had formed when she created the first dream between her and Xav. Delilah couldn't see the future but sometimes her interpretations or worries of the future slipped into the dream. But there was this one time… She had been in her Grandma's dream because she hadn't seen her in person for a while and had missed speaking to her, when suddenly the dream fell apart because of her Grandma's house setting on fire. Two days later, the house had gone up in flames in reality. Was it possible that sometimes, rarely, her dreams could truly have something about the future in them? Did that mean that the hospital in her first dream with Xav was where he was now? Her heart started beating faster and she stood up, becoming stronger and forgetting about the pain of her loss. She knew she was right, she could feel it deep down.

"He's in the hospital," she interrupted whatever Victor was saying. "Don't ask me how I know, I just do. He's in the old hospital, it's just a few streets away from here."

"Are you sure?" Victor asked.

"Yes."

Victor narrowed his eyes, clearly wondering whether or not to believe her suspicions. "She's right," Zed said. "I read her thoughts, Vic. It makes sense why she came to this conclusion, honestly."

"Ok then," Victor nodded. "The old hospital it is."

-#-

Victor's colleagues in the Net sent practically a whole SWAT team to help out so other than Victor, Uriel and Trace, the rest of the family were going to stay at Delilah's house. As the three brothers were getting ready to leave, Delilah went over to Victor. "I'm coming with you," she said.

"No you're not," he said as simply as she had spoke. "Not only are you too young to go into something like that, Xav would kill me if he found out I let you go into that danger. You're staying here and staying safe. I wouldn't let Xav go into that house when we were rescuing you, so I'm not letting you into that hospital. I'm sorry."

"That isn't fair!" She argued. "Xav's in this mess because of me, let me help get him out of it! You don't know what these guys are like, I do!"

Victor turned to face her and sighed, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes as he said, "no, Delilah. Don't tell Sky and Phee I said this, but you're favourite sister," he smiled slightly. "Xav's already in danger, I'm not letting you go into danger too. Just stay here and you'll be reunited with Xav eventually."

"But-"

"No, but's. You're not going."

Shortly after the boys left, Delilah put walls up around her mind in the hopes that Karla and Zed wouldn't hear what she was planning and prayed that they were too distracted with their worrying to get any visions or feelings of her plans. She told Sky she was just going to the bathroom, and locked herself in when she got there. She had snuck out of the house undetected hundreds of times when she used to live here, so the escape plan came easy to her.

She climbed out of the bathroom window and slid down the drainpipe carefully but quickly. Thankfully, none of the Benedict's were down there waiting for her and she couldn't hear any commotion from inside yet which meant they hadn't guessed her plans… Yet. Knowing that it wouldn't be long until they did, she started running as fast as she could down the street and towards the old hospital.

She was going to rescue her Soulfinder, even if it was the last thing she did.


	14. Running on crazy

The hospital was already surrounded by SUV's belonging to the SWAT team and a few police cars, along with a few men guarding all entrances to the hospital. Delilah could hear gunshots and shouts, a big commotion, coming from inside the building so obviously she had been right about where they were there. She looked around for some way she could get inside, keeping hidden behind a wall as she did so, only to be disappointed when she saw that there was at least one person guarding any possible entrance.

The only way she could think of getting in was by knocking out someone. She wouldn't usually condone violence but if she wanted to save her Soulfinder, she knew she had to be willing to do anything. The left side entrance was only guarded by one man, so she quickly looked around, scanning the area she was in for anything that could knock him out but not kill him.

And that's when she saw it. Next to the hospital was a house, one that looked worn out and from the horrible state of the garden and the darkness inside the windows, it looked uninhabited. But in one of the upstairs windows, she caught a glimpse of a red-haired man peering outside. When she saw him, he was looking down at her; he closed the curtain with a twitch as soon as he saw her looking.

Delilah had a feeling that the main danger wasn't in the hospital, but in the house next to it. Any sane person would have called for help before going inside, or just wouldn't have gone in at all. But as soon as Xav had been taken away from her, Delilah had lost a part of her sanity and right now, she was running on crazy.

She moved away from the wall and crossed the little alley separating the hospital and the house, and climbed over the dirty wooden fence into the back garden. The back door was unlocked and she walked straight into a kitchen, covered in dust. She moved through the house and to the staircase, immediately going upstairs without any hesitation; the steps creaked under her feet.

The ladder-stairs that led up to the attic were down and Delilah was pretty sure she heard the shuffle of a footstep above her. To prepare herself for whatever was up there, she forced herself to stop shaking with nerves and fear and switched off her emotions, focusing her mind on one thing, just one thing: save Xavier. She told herself that no matter what she found up there, no matter what she had to do, even if she ended up dying herself, she would save her Soulfinder. Her concentration made her just a little bit more crazy, but also made her brave and prepared for anything.

-#-

From where he was, tied to a chair and full of exhaustion in an attic somewhere, Xav could hear somebody entering the house and walking up the stairs. Paul Lockwood and his 'friend' Fletch, who had been taking turns to slap Xav awake whenever his eyelids started to droop closed, moved into the shadows of the attic, triumphant smiles on their faces.

Enough sunlight streamed in through the window in the roof that most of the attic was lit up and as soon as Xav saw a figure enter the attic, he knew immediately who it was before she stepped out of the darkness and saw him, her eyes widening. "Delilah," he gasped, fighting off his need to sleep. "Get out of here. Leave me. _Just go!_"

Delilah didn't answer him or even give any sign that showed she had acknowledged his words. She looked around the attic, squinting into the darkness that lined the edges of the room. "Come on out, Paul. I believe you and I have a deal to make." Her voice sounded different to Xav, like it wasn't even Delilah at all; she sounded like she was taunting the dangerous man, like she found this whole situation amusing.

Paul's quiet laugh echoed around the room and he stepped out of the shadows with Fletch close behind him. "That we do, Delilah. That we do. Shall I cut straight to the point?"

"Please do," Delilah smiled, her voice calm and cool.

As Paul began talking, Fletch moved to stand behind Xav, clamping his hand tightly on Xav's shoulder. "At first, I just wanted to kill you," Paul said to Delilah. "Because of who your parents are, no hard feelings. I ordered some guys that work for me to kill your parents and kidnap you, to keep you alive. The only person that didn't work for me that also knew about my plans for you was your Uncle Harry. He wanted me to let you go, but I couldn't do that so I had my men hunt him and try to kill him… He got away and went into hiding, but only after making sure I got a message saying he would save you. In the end though, your Soulfinder here did."

"And why do you want me?" Delilah asked. "Why are you in this house when your men are next door in the hospital, some being killed, some being arrested?"

"They're collateral damage," he shrugged. "A diversion; I knew _you'd_ find where we really are. And I need you because your power of being able to go into dreams is stronger than you know, and I need your talent to get the Savant Net to destroy themselves. And you will help me, otherwise I'll just have to keep your Soulfinder here and torture him for as long as I can, before finally killing him."

"Well, I already knew you were going to use Xav's life to blackmail me," she said bitterly. "And about my power being stronger… Do you mean how I can give people an idea and make them think they thought of it?"

"You know about it?" Paul looked impressed.

"I used it on my parents sometimes, I was your normal teenager wanting to go out to parties and such," Delilah laughed. "So, what do you want me to do? I'll do it. As long as you agree to let Xav go."

"Delilah, no!" Xav shouted. "He's going to destroy the lives of so many people, loads will end up dead! Don't do it, just go, it's okay."

Paul and Delilah both acted as if Xav hadn't spoke. "Deal," Paul grinned. "We'll start off easy then, shall we? I saw Victor Benedict going into the hospital. I want you to connect to his mind and shut it off, force him to go to sleep, and make him think that when he wakes up, he needs to shoot every single one of his colleagues and only stop if he gets shot himself. And if you even think about doing that to me, Fletch is here to kill Xav as soon as I fall asleep. And if you do something to Fletch's mind, I'll kill Xav myself."

Delilah looked at Xav, then back at Paul, and simply said, "okay. I'll do it."

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**Please leave reviews? :D xo**


	15. Not going to win

Delilah knew exactly what she had to do, she'd had plenty of practice when she was living with her parents and wanted something. Without looking at Xav - she was too scared to see the betrayed look that would surely be on his face - she closed her eyes and pictured Victor in her head. She imagined seeing the golden sphere that was his mind, visualized taking hold of it and creating a door in it; she stepped through the door and imagined seeing a light switch. She flipped the switch and felt Victor's mind shutting off and falling asleep. She didn't bother with creating some beautiful scenery like she had with Xav that time, she just made Victor's dream take part in the Benedict's house in Wrickenridge.

She ended up stood by the window while Victor was near the fireplace. "What's going on?" He demanded, his eyes finally seeing her and widening. "Why did I just randomly collapse? Delilah, I swear to God! What the hell have you done?"

"_I've put you to sleep,"_ she sent the thought to his head seeing as she couldn't speak aloud in dreams. _"I kind of came to the hospital myself because I couldn't stand being at home without Xav. We're both in the house next to the hospital with Paul Lockwood and some guy called Fletch. Do you know what powers they have? Please tell me none of them read minds because if they do, I'm going to have to make you kill a lot of people so that Xav can stay alive."_

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Victor sighed. "How you _make_ me kill a lot of people? You know what, I don't want to know. Let me wake up, Delilah."

"_Just answer my question first!"_

"Ok. Paul can't read minds, it said on his record that he can take away people's memories when he touches them, make them forget things that have happened in their life. Fletch isn't a Savant, he's a human that works with Paul, has done for years."

"_Good," _Delilah breathed a sigh of relief. _"Vic, you need to come into the house next to the hospital, up to the attic. But be quiet, okay?"_

"You're an idiot for thinking you could handle this on your own," he said, but nodded. "Let me wake up and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Delilah let go of his mind after giving it a little push to wake up. She opened her eyes and gasped as she was lurched out of her mental state and back into her physical body. She was stood exactly in the same spot as before, with three pairs of eyes watching her.

"It's done," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Victor Benedict is going to shoot as many of his colleagues as he can and think it was his idea."

"Brilliant," Paul grinned. "I knew I wouldn't regret going to so much effort to have you on our little team."

"Can I just ask you one thing?" She asked as a thought popped into her head.

"Yes, yes, of course."

"My Uncle Harry… Why did he tell Yves Benedict that they should have kept in that horrible house if he wanted you to let me go? It makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Paul said with a shrug. "He knew that eventually I would break out of prison and either use your power for my plans, or kill you. He thought that he'd be able to rescue you before I escaped so he could protect you. But then the Benedict's ruined his plan and he knew I'd be able to get to you easily now that you've found your Soulfinder. And you, Delilah, you just made it even easier for me by coming back to Dublin."

"So what do we do now?" She asked, silently praying for Victor to hurry up; Paul was starting to creep her out and she felt upset that her Uncle Harry had been trying to protect her all this time when she'd thought he'd wanted all of this to happen to her.

"We wait half an hour or so to make sure all of the police and such have gone. Then we'll get in the car, drop your Xav off somewhere, and then we'll go far away and start working on taking down the Net," he said as if he were proud of his plans.

"Sounds good," Delilah tried to smile.

"Fletch," Paul looked back at his friend. "Come over here, we'll make some phone calls and see if anyone managed to get away from the hospital."

As soon as both men were at the other side of the attic, both dialling numbers into their phones, Delilah walked slowly over to Xav. Tears welled in her eyes when she saw the look on his face: he looked tired, betrayed, heartbroken and utterly depressed. She knelt down on his left and he turned his head so that their foreheads were pressed together. "Why would you do that to my brother?" He whispered. "Why would you go through with Paul's plan? You should have just gone and left me here, I wouldn't have blamed you."

"Do you trust me, baby?" Her voice was now shaking.

"Of course I do," he said, voice strained. "I just don't get why you would do this."

"If you trust me, then trust me when I say this: everything's going to be fine. They're not going to win."

Just at that moment, three men burst into the attic: Victor, a policeman, and somebody from the SWAT team that had been next door. Delilah completely ignored them and stayed by Xav, only slightly aware of Paul and Fletch trying and failing to fight back, both of them being arrested. She couldn't believe that things had gone so well for her, that Paul had actually trusted her to make Victor kill all those people. Then again, he probably didn't think she'd be willing to try and go against him with Xav's life on the line.

"You're amazing," Xav said, smiling. "I thought you'd actually done it, I'm so sorry. I love you."

"I love you too."

Victor came over then and with Delilah's help, they managed to get Xav downstairs, out of the house, and into an ambulance. Not surprisingly, he fell asleep on the way to hospital.

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**Ok, I think this only has a few chapters left (I always planned on having less than twenty chapters), but I was thinking of doing a sort-of sequel to it, where Will finds his Soulfinder. Would anybody be interested in me doing that? :)**

**Hope you liked this chapter, please leave reviews! :) xo  
**


	16. Good news

**Ok, so I know that I said there is a few chapters left, but I changed my mind. This is the final chapter. I know it's not very long which I apologize for, but yeah.**

**Thank you to everybody that has left reviews on any of the chapters, and added the story to their favourites/alerts.  
**

**Also, this is set about two months after the end of the last chapter.  
**

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"No, Will! That box is going in the main bedroom, not the spare one," Delilah demanded, wondering how on earth Karla put up with these boys their whole lives when they had a habit of not being able to follow instructions correctly straight away.

Will saluted her, laughed and took the box into the correct room. It was times like these that Delilah was glad Xav had so many brothers. Xav and Delilah were moving out of the Benedict house and into their own apartment and she felt lucky that they had the others to help them get things moving, it would have took forever if it was just the two of them.

Sky and Phoenix were stood by the window - which stretched across one entire wall of the apartment - with Delilah, leaving the boys to do all the work. "I'm dreading moving in with Zed," Sky said. "It probably won't be for a few years yet, but he seems like the type of guy that's difficult to live with," she laughed.

"I guess I'm lucky that Yves is a neat freak," Phee laughed. "Our place is always clean, we both hate it being a mess."

"I'm the messy one in our relationship," Delilah said with a little laugh. "Xav's always cleaning up after me. When we decided to get our own place, he made me promise that I'd try and be a tidier person."

They spent the next ten minutes laughing together as they shared stories about their relationships, ignoring the Benedict brothers when they asked if the girls were going to help them or just watch them struggle. Clearly their answer was the latter. Delilah ordered a few pizzas after a while which were delivered just in time for when the boys finished bringing all the boxes and furniture into the apartment.

"Did you read my mind or something and hear that I'm starving?" Will asked, shaking his head; the boys hated it when Delilah read their minds. "Because I'm not usually cool with that, but I guess I can cope this time seeing as food's involved."

Delilah rolled her eyes, unsurprised by his comment considering Will was always eating. "Actually, no," she said, "I just figured you might be hungry after all this hard work."

Will laughed, walked over and gave her a hug. "I love you!" He shouted dramatically, before running to the other side of the living room where the others were sat together, eating the pizzas. "Hey, can we put a movie on or something? I'm dying to watch something on your TV; 42" plasma, wow."

"Sure," Delilah shrugged and pointed towards a box as she said, "DVD's are in there."

Will rooted around in the box before pulling a film out. "Is this any good? I've never seen it, although I always wanted to because it has Grace Tiler in it."

"Dude, why are you so obsessed with her?" Zed asked while pulling Sky into his arms. "You're like a teenage girl fangirling over some hot boy band member."

"It's not like that!" Will protested. "I just think Grace is a great actress and she's gorgeous!"

To stop anymore arguments, Delilah spoke. "It's a good movie, Will. Put it on if you want."

Will grinned triumphantly and began putting the disc in the DVD player. As he did so, Xav walked over to Delilah and linked his fingers through hers, pulling her into the spare bedroom. "Xav, what are you doing?" Delilah asked.

"Relax, I just wanted a minute alone with you," he chuckled. "Can you believe that it's finally happened? We're actually living together."

"We've been living together basically since you found me," she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but we have our own place now," he laughed. "It's different. Anyway, there's something I've been meaning to ask you all day: when were you going to tell me you're pregnant?"

Delilah's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "How did you know about that? I only took the test yesterday!"

"I'm a Healer," he said with a smile. "I can see when something is wrong with someone, I can see their life energy. And today I started realising something different about you: it's like you're glowing brighter and it looks like there is two life energies mixed together whenever I look at you. It didn't take me long to figure it out."

"I was going to tell you tonight, after all these lot had left," she bit her lip nervously and smiled. "So um, how do you feel about me being pregnant? I mean, we're only nearly 20. That's still pretty young."

"Who cares?" He laughed and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "This is brilliant! I'm so excited! I've always wanted children, and now it's finally going to happen. I can't wait."

Delilah laughed and hugged him back tightly. Truthfully, she had been thrilled when the pregnancy test came back as positive and had been dying to tell everybody, but wanted to tell Xav first. She hadn't known how he would react considering they were young but to see in his facial expression how truly ecstatic he was, brought tears to her eyes; she also couldn't wait for them to have their own little family.

Finally, they pulled apart and went back into the living room to share the good news with everybody else.

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**I hope you liked the ending, I thought it was a nice little happy ending to have :D**

**'Grace Tiler' isn't a real actress btw, she's the main character in my new story. So if you want to read my story of Will meeting his Soulfinder, it's called Glamorous Grace, it'll be on my page :) I'll also mention Xav & Delilah a fair bit in the new story so if you want to know what happens next with them two, read G.G :) I've only wrote a short prologue for it but I'm going to write chapter 1 later today/tomorrow. xo  
**


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